Apparatus for analyzing gas.



H. N. CHENEY & H. L. VON R. NIUKERSON.

APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING GAS.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 11, 1908.

Patented May 18, 1909.

UNITED sTArrns rENT OFFICE.

HERBERT N. CHENEY AND HARRY L. VON ll. NIOKERSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING GAB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Application filed November 11, mos. Serial m1. 62,162.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT N. CHENEY and HARRY L. VON, R. N ioKnnsoN, both of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ap aratus for Analyzing Gas, of which the fol owing is a specification.

This invention relates to' apparatus for determining the percentage of carbon dioxid in combustible gases for illuminating and other urposes, and it has for its object to provi e a simple and effective apparatus adapted to quickly and accurately test samles of gas in rapid succession, so that a urge number of tests may be made in a relatively short space of time.

Another object of the invention is to e able each sample to represent accurately the condition of the gas in the source .of so ply from which the sample is taken, .wit out admixture with any part of a previously taken sample.

The invention consists in the improvements whichwe will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,-Figure 1 represents a sectional view of an apparatus embodyin our invention. Fig. 2 represents a view 0 .a. portion of Fig. 1, showing a different adjustment of the controlling valve, hereinafter referred to.

' The same reference characters indicate the same arts in both figures.

In t edrawin s, 12 represents an absorption chamber, w ich is'or may be of sphcrical form, and is preferably made of glass, said chamber being adapted to contain a suitable absorbent of carbon dioxid, the absorbent being, for example, a solution of potash. The absorption chamber is provided in its lower. ortion with a vent or outlet tube 13, whic is extended u we rdly above the upper portionof the ch am .er, and terminates in an inclined calibrated portion 14, which is so related to a graduated scale 15 as to indicate the uantity of the solution displaced from the c amber by a cam 1e of gas. introduced into the chamber. tube 18 is here shown as provided with a bulb or enlargement 16, the whole being preferably formed .of lass. ,Communicatmg with the upper portion of the chamber 12 is aneck 1 which constitutes a casin for a rota plug valve 18. One side 0 the casing is chamber 25. pk; chamber the liquid w ich normally rises provided with orts 19 and 20, and the opposite side is provided with a port 21. The ort 1.9 communicates with a gas conduit 22, w ich communicates with a source of gas so ply under pressure, and is provided with a s ut ofi' cock 23. The port 20 communicates with a sample conduit 24 which enters the upper across it, and a branch 29 extending therefrom to the peripher of the valve at a point in alinement wit one end of the passage 28. The valve is provided with another tpassage 30 extending from the inner end 0 the valve to the peripherythereof at a point in alinement with the opposite end 0 the passage 28. The arran ment of the ports in the valve casing and thepassages 18 such that when the valve is-in the position shown in Fig. 1, the part of the passage 28 and the branch 29 constitute a. connection between the ports 19 and 20 so that gas passin through the sup ly gas conduit 22 will 50w through the va vs and through the sample conduit 24 to the sample chem r 25, the passage 30 at the same time registering with the outlet port 21, and serv mg as a vent for the u per ortion of'the absorption chamber. hen t e valve is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the passage 28' connects the inlet port 19 with the waste port 21, and the sample conduit 24 with the absorption chamber 12.

31 represents a tank adapted to hold a body of liquid, such as water, in position to entirely submerge the sample chamber 25, and to cover the greaterportions of the surfaces of t 'a gas conduit 22 and of the absorption chamber 12.

In operatin the apparatus, the valve 18 is turned to t e position shown in 1, so that gas passes from the source of supply through the conduit 22, the valve 18, and the sample conduit 24 to the sample The gas ex els from the samtherain after each operation the gas bein allowed to escape through the vent 26 mm enough gas has gone to wasteto insure the removal of all the gas ofa previous sample remaining in the sampleconduit ,24 above lot the liquid level in the tank I) The valve is then turned to the position shown in hi 2, so that the gas from the source of supp y then passes through the passage 28 and goes to \vhstc, while the gas in. the sample chamber, or the greater part of the same, is forced by the pressure of the liquid in the tank I51 into the absorption chamber. The gas sample thus transferred to the absorption chamber dis Jlaces a portion of the absorbent contain therein. The carbon dioxid in the gas is absorbed by the absorbent so that the rise of the al'isorbent in the tube 12.5 and itscalibrated extension 14: will be dependent upon the volume of the sample of as minus the volume of the carbon dioxid which it contained, and which has chemically united with the absorbent. Although the amount of gas forced from the sampling chan'iber into the absorption chamber by the couiinin liquid varies with the diii'crcnce in level between the surface of the liquid in the absorption chamber and in the calibrated tube, for any definite difference in level, or percentage of carbon dioxid absorbed, the amount is always the same, and the tube is calibrated to offset the varying amounts of gas analyzed. Al' though the carbon dioxid which has united with the absorbent still has. volume and adds to the bulk of the solution, this addition is only very slight as com ared with the bulk of the uncom-binell car on diox'id.

The scale 15 is graduated and positioned. so as to indicate the percentage of carbon dioxid by the rise of the displaced absorbent in the inclined tube 14. The greater the Jercentage of carbon dioxid in the gas, the the rise of the absorbent in the tube 14, because a larger amount of the volume of the sample has been absorbed by the absorbent. A reading is taken when the displaced absorbent has come to rest, and then the described operation-is repeated, the gas remaining in the absorption chamber passing to the outlet port through the passage 30 when the valve is turned to the position shown in Fig. 1. I

The'normal liquid level in the tank 31 is considerably above the sample chamber, so that the liquid rises in. said chamber and in a considerable part of the sample conduit 24. The gas remainin in the conduit 24 above the liquid level is forced out by the next charge of gas inteoducerhthe as being allowed to go to waste throu h t ie vent 26 until the gas left over from te previous sample in the upper part of the conduit 24: has been expelled through the vent 26 of the sample chamber.

It will be seen that while each sample 18 being tested, gas is allowed to flow continuously through the supply conduit 22 and the waste conduit 27 so thatno as is at any time left standing in the supp y tube, each absorption chamber.

sample taken being consequently fresh and representative of the main volume of gas in the source of supply. The body of liquid ll] the tank 31 enables the temperature of the absorbent and of the gas samples to be regulated and kept substantially uniform, the liquid employed absorbing heat from or giving heat to the contents of the various conduits and chambers. A. portion of the gas conduit 22 is preferably arranged in the lornt oi a coil 22 to increase the surface oi the conduit in contact with the temperature re ulating liquid. Said conduit is preferalily provided with a branch 33 having a cock 3+ topermit the est-ape of liquid resulting from the condensation of water in the conduit.

l'Ve claim:

1. An apparatus for analyzing gas comprising an absorption chamber, means for indicating the displacement of the absorbent therein, a gas supply conduit, a sample chamber having a gas vent, a sample con duit communicating with the sample chamber, awaste outlet, and means for connecting the supply conduit alternately with the sample conduit. and with the waste outlet, said means havin revisions for connecting the sample con mt with the absorption chamber when the supplv conduit is connected with the waste outlet, and means for confining a bodyof liquid around the sample chamber and in position to seal the gas vent thereof and act through said vent to force the gaseous contents of the sample chamber into the absorption chamben 2. An apparatus tor analyzing gas comprising an absorption chamber, means for i indicating the displacement of the absorbent therein, a gas supply conduit, a sample chamber having a gas vent, a sample conduit communicating with the sample chamber, a

the waste outlet, Said;

the waste out ct, and means for confinin a 1 body of liquid around the samplechani er and in position to seal the gas vent thereof and act through said vent to force thegas eous contents of the sample chamber into the absorption chamber, said 1i uid confining means being adapted to hold t e liquid body in contact with the supply conduit and the 3. An apparatus for analyzing gas comprising an absorption chamber, a valve casmg connnunicating therewith, a gas supply conduit, a sample conduit, a waste outlet comnmnicuting with said casing, a valve in said casing having passages adapted to connect the sup 1y conduit alternately with the sample con wt and. with the waste outlet,

mg communicating therewith, a gas sup '1 through said vent to force the gaseous conand to connect the sample conduit with the absorption chamber when the supply con- J duit 15 connected with the waste outlet, a sam le chamber connected with the sample com uit and having a gas vent, means for} indicating the displacement of the absorbent in the absorption chamber, and means for confining a body of liquid in position to, seal the vent of the sample chamber and to act through said vent to force the gaseous contents of the sample chamber into the absorption chamber.

4. An apparatus for analyzing gas r-omprising an absorption chamber, a valve casconduit, a sample conduit, :1 vaste ou'let communicating with said casing, a valve in said casing having passages adapted to connect the supply conduit alternately with the sample conduit and with the waste outlet, and to connect the sample conduit with the absorption chamber when the supply conduit is connected uith the waste outlet, a sample chamber connected with the sample conduitandhaving agas'rc-nnmeans for in dicating the displacement ot'thcabsorbentin the absorption chamber, and n'icans for confining a body of liquid in position to seal the vent of the sample chamber and to act tents of the sample chamber into the absorption chamber, said valve being also adapted to vent the absorption chamber when the suppl and sample conduits are connected.

i. An apparatus for analyzing gas comprising an absorption chamber, a calibrated lube coxmnunicatin with the bottom portion thereof and a opted to receive the absorbent displaced therefrom by gas samples admitted to the chamber, a gas supply conduit, a sample chamber having a gas vent, a sample conduit oon'lmunicating with the sample chamber, a waste outlet, and means for com'lecting the supply conduit. alternately with the sample conduit and with the waste outlet, said means having provisions for connectin the sample conduit with-the absorption cl iamber when the supply conduit is connected with the waste outlet, and means for confining a body of liquid around the sample chamber and in position to seal the gas vent thereof and act through said vent to force the gaseous cont nts of the sample chamber into the abs mption chamber.

In testimony whereof we have affixeol our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT N CHENEY. HARRY I). VON R. NICKERSON. W'itnesses:

JonN SHEA, WILLIA P. Lrons. 

